How Petersburg is run
Who runs Petersburg, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Petersburg's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Petersburg
A city manager hired by the council runs the city day to day. The council sets policy, adopts the budget and sets the tax rate.
What they are paid
Petersburg city staff
690 full-time-equivalent positions, including Social Services 112, Police 102, Fire 80, Petersburg Area Transit 54, Utilities 44. FY2026-27 (adopted budget, full-time positions). City of Petersburg · May 26, 2026
The budget lists full-time positions by job title without pay. We found no posted staff salary list. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Petersburg in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
Savings against the city's own target
Unassigned general fund balance: $59.4M (2025-06-30). The city's own target: The city's policy sets a minimum unassigned general fund balance of 35% of budgeted general fund spending, not to be used for recurring costs except in emergencies. City of Petersburg · Jan 27, 2026
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Property taxes$56.1M · 47%
- Other local taxes (sales, meals, utility, casino gaming and others)$30.2M · 25%
- State aid$19M · 16%
- Federal aid$5.6M · 5%
- Charges for services$3.8M · 3%
- Interest and property use$2.1M · 2%
- Other (fines, permits, fees, miscellaneous)$3M · 3%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Public safety$30.8M · 26%
- Social services$16.3M · 14%
- Transfer to the schools$13.1M · 11%
- Non-departmental$11.3M · 9%
- General government$9.5M · 8%
- Public works$9.4M · 8%
- Debt service$8.2M · 7%
- Other (constitutional officers, development, parks and culture, courts, transfers)$21.1M · 18%
Your property tax bill: who gets it
Petersburg is an independent city, so there is no county property tax. The city funds its share of the schools from the general fund. The FY2027 budget cut the rate by five cents.
100¢
of each property-tax dollar goes to the city of Petersburg
- City of Petersburg (including schools)1.22 · 100%
- Total ($ per $100 of assessed value)1.22
FY2026-27 real estate tax rate for a home in the City of Petersburg. City of Petersburg · May 26, 2026
See what a Petersburg home costs each year, line by line →Who provides your services
Not everything in Petersburg is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityPetersburg Bureau of PoliceCity of Petersburg
- Fire and EMSThe cityPetersburg Department of Fire, Rescue, and Emergency ServicesThe FY2027 budget creates a city EMS division.City of Petersburg
- 911 dispatchThe cityCity Emergency Communications divisionCity of Petersburg · May 26, 2026
- WaterThe cityCity Public Utilities Department; water bought from the Appomattox River Water AuthorityThe city delivers water to about 12,000 customer accounts.City of Petersburg
- SewerThe cityCity Public Utilities Department; treatment by the South Central Wastewater AuthorityCity of Petersburg · Jan 27, 2026
- StreetsThe cityCity Public Works DepartmentCity of Petersburg
- LibraryThe cityPetersburg Public Library (city department)City of Petersburg · May 26, 2026
- JailAnother agencyRiverside Regional Jail AuthorityCity of Petersburg · Jan 27, 2026
- Public transitThe cityPetersburg Area Transit (city)City of Petersburg · May 26, 2026
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | FairfaxVA | WinchesterVA | PetersburgVA | DanvilleVA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 26,772 | 28,272 | 33,734 | 41,647 |
| Top administrator's base pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $256,404 |
| Council member pay | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | $34,000 |
| General fund per resident | $7,766 | $4,466 | $3,551 | $4,662 |
| Debt per resident | $5,484 | $8,409 | $3,960 | $6,257 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $3,062 | $277 | $144 | $-48 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | 17.3 | 24.0 | 20.5 | 30.0 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how).
What Petersburg publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- Yes: Adopted budget posted onlineThe FY2026-27 adopted budget is posted on the city's Budgets page. City of Petersburg
- No: City manager's contract findable onlineThe City Manager's Office page has his biography only, and we found no posted employment agreement. City of Petersburg
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes on the city's agenda portal list each member's roll call vote. Petersburg City Council · May 26, 2026
- Yes: Meeting videos and minutes onlineMinutes are on the city's agenda portal and link to the meeting video. Petersburg City Council · May 19, 2026
- No: Council pay stated in a public documentThe budget shows one combined part-time pay line for the City Council, not each member's pay. City of Petersburg · May 26, 2026
- No: Employee pay publishedThe budget lists position counts by job title without pay, and we found no posted salary list. City of Petersburg · May 26, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- Unassigned general fund balance was $59.4 million at June 30, 2025, against a policy minimum of 35% of budgeted spending. What does the council plan to do with the amount above the minimum?
- The city issued $59.6 million in general obligation bonds in FY2025. Which projects will it pay for, and how will debt service of $8.2 million in FY2027 change?
- The FY2025 audit report is dated January 27, 2026. What is the plan to issue the FY2026 audit sooner?
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